The “cesspool” won’t forget Mike Elko’s comments, and the Texas A&M coach will rue the day he insulted a not insignificant portion of the Aggies fan base.
Elko showed more fight coming after nebulous TexAgs naysayers than his team did while getting flattened by Missouri.
“There's a difference to me between the fan base and social media. There’s one group that I really don't care much about: Billy's cesspool can go be Billy's cesspool,” Elko said, when asked what his message would be to frustrated Aggies fans. “Our fan base, stay with us.”
Buddy, “Billy’s cesspool” is your fan base.
Or, at least, it used to be. “Billy's cesspool” was there long before Elko became coach in Aggieland, and it’ll be there long after he’s gone.
For the uninitiated, “Billy”
is Billy Liucci, executive editor and co-owner of TexAgs.com, the website that pumps out Aggies coverage and hosts multiple popular message boards that can be a spicy and entertaining forum of fan commentary.
TexAgs isn’t some rumdum’s blog. The site occupies a legit space in the Aggies ecosystem, serving a mountain of Texas A&M coverage, along with being an Aggies water cooler, and a bellwether for the fan base’s mood.
Simply put, TexAgs.com is a behemoth, and Liucci is the most influential media voice in that market.
Elko’s quote is the kind of arrogant self-own that sticks to a floundering coach and follows him down the drain.
It’s bad enough that Texas A&M lost 27-6 at Missouri. Bad enough that the Aggies are 3-5 in their last eight games. Bad enough that their playoff chances are cooked. Bad enough that quarterback Marcel Reed regressed terribly after offensive coordinator Collin Klein left after last season to become Kansas State's coach. Bad enough that Elko replaced Klein by promoting Holmon Wiggins, a first-time coordinator who’d never before been the primary play-caller. How’s that going? Well, the Aggies failed to score a single touchdown in losses to LSU and Missouri.
All of it’s bad enough without Elko's pejorative aimed at a segment of Texas A&M fans who just want to cheer a winner after years of watching one Aggies coach after another underachieve.
Mike Elko on the message to the fan base: "There is a difference between the fan base and social media. There's one group that I really don't care much about. Billy's cesspool can go be Billy's cesspool. Our fan base, be with us. Stay behind us. We are going to build something we…
— TexAgs (@TexAgs) October 10, 2026
For a guy with an Ivy League degree, Elko revealed himself to be the most short-sighted person in the room when he effectively gave the middle finger to a portion of the fan base whose support he needs.
“Does this look confident to you?” Elko said, when asked whether he’s confident the Aggies can bounce back.
No, it looks and sounds like condescension.
Consider this Elko’s “basket of deplorables” moment. Hillary needed some of those “deplorables” to vote for her. When she insulted them instead of appealing to them, she sealed her fate.
Likewise, whether Elko likes it or not, he needs support from “Billy’s cesspool,” because what he calls a “cesspool,” others would call vocal and passionate fans, and fan support matters more than ever in this era of college football.
These aren’t just social media trolls or message board naysayers. These are ticket-buyers and donors whose dollars contribute to an expensive and underperforming roster, while the $11.5 million coach searches for answers he can’t find.
Let’s not forget, “Billy’s cesspool” helped buoy Elko into this job. When word leaked then-Aggies athletic director Ross Bjork planned to hire Mark Stoops to replace Jimbo Fisher, the news was met with an online fan revolt.
Elko emerged as a more palatable choice on social media and within the Aggies fan community, including on TexAgs. Aggies fans liked what Elko had achieved as Duke’s coach and previously as Texas A&M’s defensive coordinator.
That’s not to say TexAgs was the primary reason why Elko got the job and not Stoops. Depending on who you talk to, the Texas A&M Board of Regents swung the hire away from Stoops and in Elko’s direction. In any case, “Billy’s cesspool” being down on Stoops and more bullish on Elko certainly didn’t hurt his case.
As one TexAgs poster who supported the Elko hire wrote in 2023, “We know what Mark Stoops’ ceiling is. We don't know what Elko's ceiling is yet. But it appears it is much higher and hasn't been reached yet.”
Or, perhaps, Elko is Stoops 2.0. Both delivered a couple of overperforming seasons at basketball schools that elevated their stock. Stoops stayed too long at Kentucky, while Elko cashed in his stock. Both coaches later proved to be thin-skinned and turned on fans when the wins slowed down and the losses piled up.
Stoops described Kentucky fans as cheapskates who needed to “pony up” more if they wanted him to succeed in the NIL era. Instead, Kentucky ponied up to fire Stoops. His replacement Will Stein is off to a 5-1 start in his first season.
Elko isn’t nearly to that point. Just 10 months ago, he had Texas A&M in the playoff, but his approval rating is taking a nose dive, and he’s the pilot of this tailspin.
As one TexAgs poster wrote in a level-headed response to Elko’s comments, “We don't have a QB, season is lost. I like Elko, but this is on him.”
Bingo.
Never mind the social media critics or the message board posts, and just win games.
That’s the job. If Elko can’t do it, Aggies fans whom he insulted will help him pack his bags.
Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network's senior national college football columnist. Listen to his podcast, "College Football Unfiltered." Email him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow him on X @btoppmeyer.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Mike Elko comes after the Texas A&M 'cesspool,' but he's to blame for mess
